Yoga on the Keyboard

"You must approach your yoga practice with reverence and gratitude and love.

It’s very much like entering a temple."  – Amrit Desai

Hips and Lower Back

Our hips and lower back can be a huge warehouse for tension and old emotional baggage. We were not designed to sit at a keyboard all day long and intensely view a monitor. We were designed to run, hop, laugh, wiggle and sigh with relief. Remember to take little breaks, short walks around the office and use the stairs if you have the choice.

The benefits of the hip and lower back stretches are:

• Releases tension in your lower body.

• Calms your nervous system.

• Re-energizes and refreshes.

a. Spinal Flexes

To begin sit in the center of your chair placing your palms face down on your thighs and anchoring your feet to the floor. Exhale slowly as you press your belly towards the back of your chair and lower your chin to your chest, making your back very round. Inhale slowly lifting your chest towards the ceiling rolling the pelvis forward. Continue moving between these two poses smoothing out your movement as well as your breath. You will begin to notice your shoulder blades spreading away from the spine on your exhale and wrapping towards your spine on your inhale.

b. Hip Opener

Gently relax the soles of your feet into the floor. Soften your buttocks and cross your right ankle over your left knee. Place your right hand on your right thigh and your left hand near your right ankle. Sit very tall and relax your shoulders sliding your shoulder blades down your back. Gently press your right thigh towards the floor. Begin to relax all your face muscles, even the spaces under your cheeks. Breathe naturally through your nose relaxing your inhales and exhales. If this is comfortable for you gentle fold forward relaxing your chest to your calf. (Don’t get attached to your chest touching your calf. Just breathe long and deep and let yourself rest in the loving hands of gravity.) Remember when exploring your hips to always relax your jaw. Take five to ten long deep breaths and then do the left side.

c. Forward Bend

Merging your feet with the floor, soften your buttocks noticing equal weight on both sits bones. Bow your chin to your chest allowing your arms to dangle. Slowly curl down one vertebra at a time eventually resting your chest towards your thighs. Drop your head allowing the blood to flush out your brain. Take five to ten long deep breaths.

If this is comfortable for you, place the hands under your feet, palms face up reaching your fingers back towards your heels. Standing on your hands, gently massage your hands with your toes.

d. Spinal Twist

Begin with both knees bent, soles of the feet anchored in to the floor. Sit square on both sits bones and sit tall floating the crown of your head to the sky. Place your left hand on your right knee and your right hand on the back of your seat. Inhale deep lifting your chest, sliding your shoulder blades down your back. Exhale completely pressing your navel to your spine keeping your hips planted gently twisting from your waist. With each complete exhale really press your belly backwards towards your spine. In your minds eye spin your energy up around your spine to your third eye. On your fifth long exhale slowly guide yourself back to neutral spine, inhale slowly beginning your left side.